Enter the Ninja (1981)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

As Good As It Gets

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

After just completing his training at a ninja school, Django, now an army vet travels to the Phillippines and finds himself battling a land grabber who wants his war-buddy's property. He must also fight his rival, who is jealous of his moustache and the fact that he is the only Ninja who gets to wear white. But does Kosugi not understand that white gets dirty quickly, and Django will spend forever and a day washing?To say anything other than this is cheese would be lying. It is cheese of the highest order, but for heavens sake, its so much fun while it lasts.Nero, I know only from Django and as the random General in Die Hard 2. And while his voice maybe dubbed, he really as no screen presence in this, and looks highly embarrassed, which adds to the charm of the film.Every Ninja movie begins with a fight with people wearing various colours of pyjama, and there is always one who takes it a little too far and ruins the whole proceedings. Nero qualifies as a Ninja by doing funny stuff with his hands, and goes to meet his friend who looks like a cut price James Caan, who is a drunk and lives with Susan George.Their land is threatened by a comedy villain and his badly dressed henchman, all the while being supported by some chubby British guy who talks like Jarvis from Iron Man.It's all silly revenge stuff, Neros face is conveniently covered whenever there is a big fight, but the last twenty minutes is hilarious, with Nero carrying more weapons than humanly possible.Not to be taken seriously by any means, but if you are a fan of eighties action, this will do nicely.

Enter The Ninja came out on the now famous Cannon label. It was the start of Cannon's legendary action movies and also Enter The Ninja is the godfather of the American ninja flicks. It started the craziness of ninja flicks in the eighties. So it took me exactly 30 years to discover this flick due that I'm collecting VHS and came across many Cannon flicks. This one is luckily available on DVD but so many Cannon's aren't. Don't expect to have a real gem hear. The actors weren't that good and it's more about the fighting scene's that you watch it. The effects used were the real stuff, CGI wasn't available back then for a flick that only costs a million and half dollars to make. But it is a classic and also a Franco Nero classic. Many do find the fight scene's laughable and stupid but again, this was made by a label known for low budget flicks, exploitation and horror (Lifeforce "Tobe Hooper" was their first outcome). Just watch it for fun.

Enter the Ninja (1981) * 1/2 (out of 4) The first film in the series features Franco Nero as a war veteran who finishes training at a ninja school and goes to visit a friend and his wife (Susan George) and discovers they are getting pushed around by a creep (Christopher George) wanting to force them off their land. Nero is able to keep the bad guys away with his ninja skills but soon the baron hires a ninja (Sho Kosugi) to take care of him. Soon Nero and Kosugi are doing battle. ENTER THE NINJA is the first in the series and clearly the weakest, which is due in large part to the poor direction by Golan. I think it's also safe to say that these American ninja movies were a major, major step down from the brilliance of Akira Kurosawa but you wouldn't know it by Golan's direction. He really thinks he must be doing a serious piece of art and its this serious nature that slows the movie down and in the end kills it. I think the best of these American ninja movies are the ones that know they're corny and just want to deliver entertainment. Sadly this one here doesn't offer much in terms of entertainment. Even the opening where Nero, in his white ninja outfit, does battle against a group of ninjas just comes off flat and deadly boring. From this point on there are many different fight sequences but none of them pack any punches and more often than not you're just sitting there waiting for something exciting to happen but it never does. Nero was trading in his Western gear for this here and isn't all that convincing as the ninja. There wasn't a single second where I believed him in this role and you can tell that he seems rather bored throughout. Susan George offers up the typical George performance but it is worth noting that this was the first film I've seen where she doesn't get naked. Christopher George isn't much better but at least he goes over-the-top with his role and at least manages to get a couple laughs. Kosugi is pretty much wasted as he only appears in a couple sequences including the ending where he does battle with Nero. The direction by Golan is just way too dramatic for its own good and he really doesn't know how to build up any momentum or suspense. Since he goes all dramatic on us it takes away any possible camp moments but I must admit that the neck-breaking sound effects are among the worst I've ever heard. The music score is also downright horrid. Considering the two sequels did manage to get better you can't help but rate this one as a flop.

A sojourning master of Ninjitsu, visits an old war buddy in Manilla whose having problems with a ruthless businessman who wants his land and will not take no for an answer. Franco Nero, his voice dubbed, is Cole, a Vietnam vet who has mastered the art of Ninjitsu through the intense training of a school, wearing a white outfit, quite deadly with his vast array of weapons at his disposal. His nemesis in the school, Hasegawa(Shô Kosugi), longs for the ways of old, when the code of the Samurai was in full effect. Christopher George is Charles Venarius, a very callous, extremely wealthy businessman who doesn't appreciate when others resist his power, attempting to rebel against him. Charles is interested in land(..with oil underneath it's surface worth a fortune)owned by Cole's alcoholic pal, Frank Landers(Alex Courtney), who runs chicken fights for the nearby village who work for him and his lady, Mary Ann(Susan George). Cole will walk right in the middle of this feud and assist Frank against Charles and his endless army of goons who will do whatever is necessary to get that land. After several attempts to harm Frank, scaring off the men who worked tirelessly for him, Charles finds that his hands are indeed full as long as Cole is around, using his martial arts skills to fight off the constant attacks. But, fighting fire with fire, Charles will enlist the aide of a ninja, Hasegawa, who knows Cole quite well. In an showdown to the end, Cole will have to eliminate Charles' manpower and square off one on one with Hasegawa.If you like cheesy 80's ninja movies or those corny Asian movies dubbed to English, then Enter the Ninja will be right up your alley. I do, however, credit the director Menahem Golan, choreographer Shô Kosugi, editors Michael J Duthie & Mark Goodblatt, and Mike Stone who subbed for Nero during the fight sequences for putting together some exciting battles, even if the overall film is a bit hokey and repetitive. Fun, eclectic cast and hilarious sound effects as Nero cracks bones with lots of slow motion used to depict people on the verge(..and during)great feats or getting killed by those throwing stars which stab into many a chest. I just loved the over-the-top reactions of Charles' thugs and employees once they are attacked and killed by Cole. Nero, as always, is suave in his tailored suits, carrying his usual cool, intense when need be..but his dubbed voice-over provides unintentional laughs. I consider this film much better than the American Ninja series which featured an accomplished white man(..and other buddies)beating the holy hell out of wimpy ninjas in black(..among other colors) outfits.